Hi Friends,

Even as I launch this today ( my 80th Birthday ), I realize that there is yet so much to say and do. There is just no time to look back, no time to wonder,"Will anyone read these pages?"

With regards,
Hemen Parekh
27 June 2013

Now as I approach my 90th birthday ( 27 June 2023 ) , I invite you to visit my Digital Avatar ( www.hemenparekh.ai ) – and continue chatting with me , even when I am no more here physically

Thursday, 23 July 2015

Close in India ?


Close  in   India  ?

Writing in Hindustan Times ( 23 July 2015 ) , Timsy Jaipuria
provides following information about Scooters India Ltd (SIL) :

*   SIL employs 1000 persons
*   Incurred losses from 2002 to 2012
*   Given Rs 200 crore revival package in 2013
*   Expected to make loss in 2015
*   Government could not find a buyer for SIL in2011
*   If SIL fails to revive , Government will try to divest again

All of these reminded me of the following letter that I wrote to 7,500 employees of L&T Powai Works ( individual copies in English and Marathi ), some 30 years back :
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28 Feb 1986



Dear Friends :

FLOGGING A DYING HORSE

The correct  idiom is  "flogging a dead  horse" but  there is every possibility that  the horse ( Scooters India )  is dead by now.

This is because  the enclosed article ( Dying Horse ) about  SIL  is almost 18 months old.

And  as of  Dec.  31, 1985,  we have  such  93,282 dying  (or dead?)  horses in  our  country.  

These are  known as  " Sick Units " 

 What  I do not  know is whether  the above mentioned figure  includes  public-sector ( Govt.  owned ) sick-units  or not. 

Most of  these are sick - in fact VERY SICK.  If you wish to know how "sick", here are some  "temperature-readings" :

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Government Unit ( PSU ).......... Loss in last 3 years ( Rs Crores )

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1.
Engineering Projects India Ltd. (EPI)...............90
2.
Hindustan Steelworks Const. Ltd. (HSCL)..........67
3.
Cycle Corporation of India Ltd. (CCIL)............   8.8
4.
Scooters India Ltd. (SIL)..............................  50
5.
Tanneries & Footwear Corp. of India Ltd.(TAFCO)..5

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I  understand   that  the  Govt.   is  planning   to  wind-up (close-down) the  first  3 units  and merge  the  remaining 2 units with some successful public or private sector company.

From the  "Dying Horse" article, we  find that neither  Bajaj nor HMT wants to even touch Scooters India !


And no  wonder

A similar  company in America  would perhaps employ  500 persons whereas Scooters India  has employed 3500 persons .

Reminds me of Bombay Municipality ! 

IBMC can sack (terminate/retrench)  half  of  its  employees,  productivity would go up FOUR TIMES ! 

If you  do not believe me, next time stop  and count  the number of  persons  pretending to  dig a hole for a faulty telephone cable !

And  talking surplus  labour  (?)  HSCL  has  12000 !  ( See following article )

How long before some of us muster enough courage to ask

"Am I my brother's keeper?"


H C Parekh
General Manager ( Powai )

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It seems , since I wrote the above-listed letter , things have not changed ! May be the " Industrial Sickness " has spread
May be we need to launch another initiative called , " Close in India "  !
And permitting 100 % FDI in sick units could be another " Out of Box " solution worth considering  ! Nothing to lose but something to gain
And , the beauty is , no political party will oppose such " Privatization " !
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  hemen  parekh
 (M) 0 - 98,67,55,08,08
  23  July  2015


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